The game mechanics are fairly routine with players controlling a hero who battles wicked generals who all morph into mighty demonic alter-egos. The "O" or "SQUARE" button blows out shots while the "X" or "TRIANGLE" button swings a sword. The sword may be used to reflect and deflect enemy shots right back at them for a added bit of strategy and high scoring tactics.

The alternative SKU # for this product is SLPM-62753.

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.

NCS Game Notes™
/\/* There is no cinematic intro but little images of the characters from the game flip and flick in the title screen. The main hero is a masked ninja who swings a sword and blasts shots while he flies vertically upwards. The sword serves a dual purpose - one to attack foes and another to deflect bullets.

/\/* Upon pressing START, the options are as follows:

1) START New Game

2) GAME Configuration / Set the amount of lives, amount of bombs, difficulty level, sound mode, continue capability, monitor aspect ratio, the score upon which another "Continue" is gifted, controller settings, and ranking reset.

3) SAVE/LOAD game data and set AUTOSAVE mode if so desired.

4) GALLERY / View five pages of character artwork and sketches. Only three pieces may be viewed at the outset but an additional 52 pieces of artwork may be unlocked as one battles through the levels.

5) RANKING / Check out the top 25 scores in the game. The default initials in this are HMR but we soon hit 8th place and replaced HMR with NCS. The top score is at 1000000000 and 25th place scored 4000000.

/\/* After starting NEW GAME, a short tutorial teaches the different attacks and systems that are in effect.

When the game starts, the sun is setting amidst a hazy cloud-filled sky and the color is fiery orange. Our hero flies downwards through the clouds with cape fluttering and onto a level where temples and buildings lie underneath. He's en route to Osaka Castle for a fight against a boss named Kobayakawa. The movement of the hero may be controlled through the D-pad or L-analog but the L-analog is preferred.

Red circular objects attack first and they fire off slow motion bits of laser fire. Hit either the O or SQUARE button to shoot while the X button swings a sword but once swung, it is not available again for a 5 second interval. Listen for the sharp ping sound and wait for the greenish hue to swirl around the hero before swinging again. After the red enemies, robotic machines with propellers attack followed by blue warriors who shoots out a distinct patter of fire. To set off a screen clearing blast, hit the L1 or R1 trigger.

The first level boss is a laughing caped fiend named Aki Kobayakawa who battles with a massive tank-like robot as a backup partner. The tank fights first and it seems like it's not much of a boss. Then it starts shooting out star shaped buckshot bursts that radiate outwards to confirm that its not much of a fighter. The starburst shots which are followed by slow-moving snowball shots may look impressive but they're easily avoided with proper timing and twitch maneuvering. At the beginning of a starburst shot from the boss when the shots are tightly compacted, and before they radiate, try swatting them back with a sword attack. Our highest shot hit-back was 245 but we're sure that higher numbers are possible.

Once the tank is destroyed, the caped Kobayakawa enters the screen, mumbles a few words, and transforms into a massive demon with sharp toenails and leathery green skin. Added accessories include lengthy pincers which are attached to its shoulders and a gnarly tail. It shoots out closely compacted red and blue shots that aren't too difficult to maneuver but then it shoots out a laser beam and alternates tightly spaced shots with fast moving streams of red fire that converge on your location. Then there's the bluish-white blobs which all conspire to fill up the screen with a maze of shots. The demon's a little tougher to beat but conservative use of the deflection slash and copious amounts of fire will eventually bring it down. When beaten, it sprays out a foggy haze of green ichor and crumbles to its death. A few seconds later, it blows up in a powerful cloudy green explosion.

/\/* As mentioned earlier, enemy shots may be smacked right back at them by swinging the sword. When smacking shots back, there are times when you'll swat back 100 shots and be rewarded with 1000x100 points. To put the shot-smack move to the test in the first level, wait until there's a bunch of blue warriors on the screen. They'll release a conglomeration of blue shots. Just as they're about to hit you, press the X button and you'll see many of the shots quickly shot back at their shooters to wipe them out.

/\/* The second level takes place over a forest and a craggy mountain area in Iga Ueno and the boss is Hattori Hanzo aka Devil Hanzo. His namesake is proven when he changes from ninja warrior into a dark winged demon.. Enemies in the level include big bats and smaller winged enemies. The early part of the level is tricky mainly because there's loads of enemy fire mixed with cascading gold coins for a visual overload of little objects on screen simultaneously. The mid-level boss blasts out a nifty flame effect and also shoots out a veritable constellation of shots and a literal web work of firepower that requires herky jerky joypad action to maneuver through. There are a couple of chances to earn 1000x100 shot-whack bonuses in this encounter. Later in the level, the bats shoot out a thick arc of red shots that require even more shot-whacking. The end level boss Hattori is a doozy with a fast moving attack where he shoots out shots and quickly moves from location to location to mix it up. Similar to the first level boss, it will eventually transform from a ninja to a dark demonic creature that spits out streams and streams of fire. Streams.

/\/* The sword attack has a different effect when it is used directly on the body of an enemy instead of their shots. Hitting an enemy with the sword will cause every object on screen at the time of the attack to freeze for a split second. A ray of destruction then passes between the frozen enemies to destroy them all. For an added wrinkle to the gameplay, try going through the entire game by only using the sword attack to swat back shots and to trigger the freeze-attack effect. It is possible to battle the bosses with just the sword attack also. Enemies that are destroyed in this manner will release coins that will fly to your player directly without you having to claim them.

/\/* When coins are collected, a clattering sound effect may be heard. It's reminiscent of old school shooters if you're into nostalgia. There's a little attraction between the player and the coins although it's not strong. While the coins won't be drawn into the player, they will gravitate towards him when he's close to them. If they are far, they'll just drop downwards out of the screen.

/\/* In each level, there are two paths to the left or right that may be chosen by moving underneath either scroll that appears on either side.

/\/* Homura is a highly enjoyable shooter with interesting sights and a gimmick that works well. Instead of unlimited swats to beat back shots, the 5 second interval moderates the difficulty level. The bosses put up a fairly good fight and skill is required to flit from area to area in order to avoid their attacks. The first level is simple and introduces the player to the mechanics but the subsequent levels bump the difficulty up a notch. The game also doesn't give unlimited continues - only a few are allowed before the game ends. There are extends however if you reach certain scores to allow for an additional continue. The first extend is earned when you reach 150,000,000 and the second extend at 300,000,000.

Jan Code: 4988611206515

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